This invention relates generally to cleaning systems, and more particularly to attachments for vacuum cleaners that can be used for spot cleaning.
Prior art cleaning systems include vacuums, wet/dry vacuums, and extractors. While traditional vacuums are generally used only to remove dry materials, wet/dry vacuums can be used to pick up liquids or wet materials. Other cleaners apply a cleaning fluid, such as a solution of water and detergent, to the surface to be cleaned. The fluid can facilitate cleaning by dissolving and lifting dirt from the surface. Subsequent suctioning lifts away the dirt and the fluid and also helps to dry the surface.
Cleaning fluids can be used in different types of products. Many extractors include a cleaning fluid spray system contained as a unit along with a wet/dry vacuum. Fluid dispensing systems can also be arranged as attachments for conventional vacuums or wet/dry vacuums. U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,526, for example, discloses a fluid-dispensing unit that can be attached to a wet/dry vacuum and used to apply a cleaning fluid for spot-cleaning.
Portability, maneuverability, and storage of such attachments are a concern. Wheels are sometimes used to improve the maneuverability of the nozzle of a cleaner, but wheels increase the size of the unit, and can make it unwieldy to store. Retractable wheels are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,802, but the product is still bulky.